Speed and Car Traffic Regulation in Urban Areas (original) (raw)
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Speed and car used regulation in urban areas: Paris and Lyon case studies
Post-Print, 2004
Abstract: Improvements in individual mobility conditions for drivers in the Paris conurbation (higher speed and lower cost of individual mobility) have contributed to the reduction of urban areas density and have led to dominant use of the car and a dramatic reduction in walking and ...
Evaluation of car traffic reduction potential in urban area, Paris and Lyon case-studies
The private car currently dominates travel in large metropolitan areas and its use is on the increase, in spite of the fact that public opinion is generally in favour of the development of public transport and political statements which reflect this opinion. Furthermore, the available projections and an analysis of the potential effect of conventional policies indicate that although such policies are able to exert some control, it is limited. Then, the question, that this research directed by INRETS will attempt to answer, is: could a major metropolitan area operate with a radically different transport system that is based principally on the use of modes other than the automobile? By "radically different", we mean a system in which use of the conventional automobile would be reduced in a non-marginal manner, by, say, between a third and a half of all private car vehicle-kilometres. This research does not attempt to justify a move towards a radically different system a lot ...
Potential for Car Use Reduction through a Simulation Approach: Paris and Lyon Case Studies
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The aim of the present study is to evaluate the possible extent of modal shifts from car use to "alternative modes" (public transport, cycling, walking) without any change in individual patterns of activity. Our approach is based on a transfer procedure that allows us to simulate the maximal potential market for transport modes other than the private car.
A Multimodal Transport Model to Evaluate Transport Policies in the North of France
Sustainability, 2022
We developed a passenger transport model for the North of France and used it to discuss the impacts of some policies focusing on the limitations of polluting gas emissions and congestion. The model is calibrated for the North of France and includes both urban and intercity trips. Four transport modes are considered: walking, biking, public transport and private cars. To some extent, the combination of these modes is possible. The model is calibrated to match mode shares and the dynamic of congestion along a full day. The simulations are conducted within the MATSim framework. We evaluate the impacts, on traffic flows and polluting gas emissions, of two pricing reforms: free public transport and road pricing in city center of Lille (the main metropolitan area in the study region). Free public transport yields a significant modal shift towards public transport, resulting in a reduction in the usage of private cars. The road pricing scheme we have considered results in similar impacts b...
The quality of public transport as a determinant of the number of car commuters
WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, 2007
This paper examines residents' attitudes towards the quality of existing public transport, based on travel mode usage for job-based journeys. The hypothesis tested was that one of the important factors for car usage is a lower evaluation of the quality of public transport services by car users compared to users of alternative means of transport. The case study is based on data gathered from a survey performed in the city of Pärnu, Estonia. The Chi Square test (α was used to determine socio-demographic differences between different mode user groups. Mean values of nondiscrete parameters were compared using the t-test. We grouped the statements about public transport quality based on the results of factor analysis and checked them against differences between different groups using the correlation analysis. Quality aspects considered for public transport quality evaluation were: public transport reliability, security, frequency, times of operation, schedule and routes, public transport cost as well as the preference of car usage or walking. The results of the analysis show that overall satisfaction with the quality of the public transport service was high or very high. The opinion of the car user group correlated highly only with preference of car usage. Thus the hypothesis was confirmed partly as car users prefer this mode of transport because of its higher comfort, and they also value the greater independence that a private car can give. The results confirmed the findings of many previous studies investigating the reasons for car usage, although some studies have also pointed out critical attitudes towards the reliability and connection speed of public transport.
Urban Transport XIV, 2008
The finite nature of the oil reserves on the one hand and the growing impact of the use of road vehicles on the air quality and the greenhouse effect on the other hand, require major adjustments of the current vehicle fleet and of its use. Although urban traffic also contributes to resource depletion and climate change, urban areas such as the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) are mainly facing air quality issues. This is due to its dense road network and to the high concentration of receptors (mainly population and buildings). Several possible policy measures could be implemented by the Brussels Regional Government to influence the characteristics or intensity of urban traffic as well as its impact on the environment. These possible policy measures include a reorientation of the fiscal system for vehicles (registration and circulation tax), applying a road or congestion charge, variable parking fees, etc. The Brussels Regional Government has commissioned a study to investigate the effects of different policy measures on the traffic intensity in the city, as well as on the environment and the eco-efficiency of the vehicle fleet. Other aspects that will be addressed are the implications on the cost per kilometre and how the purchase behaviour, as well as the use of vehicles could evolve. In this paper, the current situation of urban traffic in the BCR is briefly described, as well as possible policy measures to tackle the issues related to it. Further, the goals of the commissioned study and the proposed methodology are discussed. The Ecoscore, as an important environmental indicator for vehicles, is applied as a tool for policy support.
Dynamic of car ownership and commuting in France since the 1960s
2010
Transportation has experienced extraordinary growth during the last century and still evolves throughout the twenty-first century. To clarify the changes to come, studies of the history of past habits and behaviors are essential. The knowledge of mobility in France is ...
Transport Policy and the Car Divide in the UK, the US and France: Beyond the Environmental Debate
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 2007
Public aid programs to subsidize the automobility of poor households are at the heart of a trade-off between three different types of concern: economic (promoting access to employment for active members of these households), environmental (cutting greenhouse gas emissions from cars) and social (ensuring that policies to control car usage do not penalize poorer households disproportionately). This article analyzes comparative research into the origins and development of such programs in three countries characterized by different levels of car dependence (France, the UK and the US). It shows that these programs, which are obviously useful to the households that benefit from them and, surprisingly, have largely escaped criticism despite running counter to policies that restrict the use of cars, remain of marginal importance in all three countries. The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, auto programs are not an appropriate solution to the difficulties encountered by a significant portion of poor households and, secondly, wider development of such policies would constitute a considerable political gamble, especially as they risk destabilizing the mechanisms for funding public transit and weakening their social legitimacy. In the longer term, however, multiplying economic and fiscal methods of restricting car use that weigh disproportionately on the budgets of more modest households may necessitate a considerable increase in programs to aid automobility. Ordinary mobility (i.e. spatial mobility related to everyday activities) is now considered as the norm (in contrast to the negative notions of sedentariness, confinement and immobility) and a basic right (the freedom to come and go as one pleases), as well as an economic and social resource (in order to be 'employable' and to participate fully in society, mobility is essential) (Urry, 2000; Orfeuil, 2004). Implementing this norm on a concrete basis involves according an ever-increasing importance to individual modes of transport, especially the car, in line with the individualization of lifestyles and practices (Sheller and Urry, 2000).
Impact of Buses, Taxis, Passenger Cars, and Traffic Infrastructure on Average Travel Speed
Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2021
It is known that many variables influence traffic, yet very little is known about the weight of each factor in the dynamics of traffic in cities of developing countries, in many cases due to their peculiar traffic regulations. In this work, we search for the variables that have the most significant impact on the average travel speed of three distinct types of vehicles: passenger cars, taxis, and buses. First, we developed a tool featuring algorithms that simulate ordinary overtaking and car-following behaviors, along with controls for setting vehicles’ actions, particularly buses’ and taxis’ stops. Then, we chose a particular zone to study, based on its common geometry and the particular traffic infrastructure (speed bumps, traffic lights, and bus stops) inside it. Later on, three experiments were carried out, with the following results. (1) Both the buses’ arrival frequency and curbside bus stops affect the passenger cars’ average travel speed. The buses’ response was affected by t...
URBAN CONGESTION: A European Perspective on Theory and Practice
Annual Review of Energy and the Environment, 1996
▪ Growing urban transport congestion is a major cause of environmental problems, as well as delays. One may argue that this is a classic problem of externalities and can be readily corrected by means of the price mechanism. However, although interest is increasing in pricing as an element in any solution, the answer is not so easy. Despite the falling cost of microelectronics, urban road pricing remains complex, expensive to administer, and politically controversial. Nevertheless, modeling exercises and limited practical experience suggest that most, if not all, of these problems can now be overcome and that road pricing may now be successfully implemented. But the continued opposition to road pricing makes consideration of the alternatives necessary. Indeed, both for political and economic reasons, road pricing appears much more likely to be successfully implemented as part of a package of measures than in isolation.